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Eyes on Eurasia with Glen HowardMy personal Substack about developments and trends that shape the geopolitics of Eurasia. Author: Glen Howard Eyes on Eurasia
Hi Everyone, I have had such a great reaction to my articles that I decided to begin releasing interviews with guests who follow regional security issues more closely and are experts on the subject matter. To kick things off please be my guest to listen in on the issues of the day and how these events may continue to unfold. My personal Substack is about developments and trends that shape the geopolitics of Eurasia. glenhoward.substack.com Language: en Genres: News, News Commentary, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 18: After Operation Spiderweb: Is the Kerch Strait Bridge Ukraine's Next Target?
Sunday, 8 June, 2025
Hello everyone! Welcome to Episode 18 of my Eyes on Eurasia podcast with Glen Howard. In this episode I am excited to interview two prominent Ukrainian naval experts on Black Sea security. My guests are retired Ukrainian Admiral Ihor Kabanenko and Captain Andrii Ryzhenko.Part one of the interview will address the recent Ukrainian drone attack on Russia known as Operation Spiderweb where I will obtain their military assessments on the continuing fallout from the devastating Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian strategic aviation. My guests will also share their views about how the devastaiting strikes affect the future of the Russian strategic nuclear Triad. Part two of the podcast will focus on the future of the Kerch Strait bridge. Earlier this week a Magura 7 Uncrewed Surface Vechicle (USV), or sea drone, attacked the Kerch Straits bridge penetrating several layers of Russian security attempting to destroy one of the four vulnerable pillars holding up the bridge. What makes the future of the Kerch Straits Bridge so timely to discuss is the belief among some Ukraine experts that Germany finally delivered the long-awaited Taurus bunker busting cruise missile to Ukraine. If true….then it is could be a matter of weeks if not days when Ukraine could use the missile to strike the bridge making it inoperable. Loss of the Kerch Straits bridge would have a a major impact on Russia’s ability to resupply Crimea and could be a turning point in the war and we will discuss all these aspects in this extended podcast. Enjoy, GlenGuest Bios:Ihor KabanenkoIhor Kabanenko is an expert on the Russian navy and Ukrainian defense and security issues. A retired admiral with the Ukrainian Navy, Kabanenko served in the Soviet navy from 1983 to 1990, in various positions up to Commander of the ship and Chief of Staff of Missile Ships Division. Since 1993, he served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He was appointed to the positions of Chief of Operations and Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Navy, the Military Representative of Ukraine to NATO, Chief of Operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the First Deputy Chief of Defence. He retired in 2013, with the rank of Admiral. From May to August 2014, Admiral Kabanenko served as the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, and from August to October 2014—as Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for European Integration. Currently, he works for the private industry and is an expert on defense and security issues.Andrii RyzhenkoCaptain (ret.) Andrii Ryzhenko is an expert on Russian naval forces and naval strategy. He is a former officer in the Ukrainian Navy and retired from the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the rank of Navy Captain. Captain Ryzhenko served over 35 years at sea and ashore: aboard surface warships, at Ukrainian Navy HQ on maritime tactics and PfP exercises, and as defense and strategic planner. He also worked on Ukrainian Navy transformation to Euro-Atlantic standards and on the contribution to NATO-led operations and NATO Response Forces. He served in NATO on partner nation units’ evaluation methodology (OCC E&F) at Supreme Allied Headquarters Europe (SHAPE) (Mons, Belgium), and he developed maritime aspects of the National Security Strategy in Ukraine. Capt. Ryzhenko is currently a strategic expert at the defense and logistics consultant firm, Sonata. Get full access to Glen’s Substack at glenhoward.substack.com/subscribe
